Stopping the Bloodshed: U.S. Response to Crimes Against Humanity in Sudan
2025-12-11
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Source: Congress.gov
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So this thank you for the flexibility. Last week, I had the honor of attending President Trump's convening of two African leaders. to bring an end to the decades of bloodshed and war in eastern Congo. It is through the President's leadership and his distinguished Secretary of State and the tireless efforts of other members of the staff that the leaders were able to sign an historic accord, the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, The gravity of which we hope will result in a lasting and sustainable peace between Rwanda and the DRC. Yes, there have already been some setbacks, but it is a well-meaning and I think a well-articulated effort. And again, being at that siren ceremony, I've worked on the DR Congo issue for three decades, and I almost couldn't believe that this was happening as it did last week. The President is a man of peace, peace through strength, and I am encouraged by his focus on engagement on Sudan. Sudan is under the darkest clouds, a catastrophe that has for far too long been met with paralysis by the international community. The people of Sudan have been subjected to unbearable pain, suffering, and loss of life, and even slavery, for decades. Three decades ago, in 1996, I chaired a hearing on the scourge of slavery in Sudan and in Mauritania, where we heard testimony that absolutely chilled our souls. I went to Khartoum in August of 2005 and met with President Omar al-Bashir and other government officials to press for an end to the genocide in Darfur. The meeting was necessarily contentious. Bashir denied any wrongdoing or complicity in the Darfur genocide. In 2009, however, Bashir was charged by the ICC with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. And in 2010, he was the first person ever charged for the crime of genocide.
After meetings with Bashir and other government officials, my staff director, Greg Simpkins, and I visited two refugee camps in Darfur, Kama Camp, and stayed overnight in another, Mukjar, an experience that profoundly motivated me to do more and others to do more to end the mass violence. When our helicopter landed at the remote Mugjor camp, thousands of women and children danced and clapped and sang beautiful traditional African songs. The people of Darfur have a remarkable generosity and spirit, and it was all inspiring. Just about everyone we spoke with, however, especially the women, told us personal stories of rape, senseless beatings, and massacres by the Janjaweed and the Sudanese militias. Former Trump Administration Africa Director in the National Security Council, Nicole Wittersheim, who will testify today from Human Rights Watch, lived and worked in Sudan for seven years, and she was on that trip. And she recounted briefly in her testimony today to Muchar. Ambassador Sam Brownback, when he was a senator, along with Congressman Frank Wolf, were the first members of Congress to visit Darfur in June of 2004. Their historic trip, followed by an aggressive advocacy for the vulnerable and the victims, helped galvanize efforts to try to end the violence. So I always appreciate it. We all are for what those two great leaders did. Former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins, has also led a delegation to Sudan and in 2020 and today will testify that both the RSF and the SAF have a common enemy in Christians. Christians have been denied food aid and told, unless you leave your Christianity, you will not get any food. I mean, that is just, again, talk about coercion. Ken Isaacs of Samaritan's Purse, who testified at our subcommittee hearing this past May 22nd, will testify, and I quote in pertinent part, today, the humanitarian situation in Sudan has deteriorated further.
That's just six months ago, half a year. It's gotten bad, worse. What's happening in Sudan is a man-made famine with 21 million people facing acute food insecurity and 6.5 million in or near famine. History is not just repeating itself in Sudan, it is compounding. President Trump has called Sudan the most violent place on earth and the single biggest humanitarian crisis and said tremendous atrocities are taking place. Today, Sudan is in a state of collapse. We're witnessing a genocide that indeed echoes the horrors of the 2000s, perpetrated by the very same actors who soaked the soil of Darfur with blood for two decades. The Catholic bishops, and again, when the faith community speaks out, they do it at great risk. They have been very, very strong in saying we find ourselves deeply disturbed by the ongoing devastating conflicts and the dishonored peace agreements in both nations. They're talking about South Sudan as well, especially with the worsening situation in 2025.
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